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Introduction to Interaction Design

Instructors:

Annelie Berner
a.berner@ciid.dk

Abhiruchi Chhikara
a.chhikara@ciid.dk

Announcements:

OFFICE HOURS THIS WEEK:

  • Thursday with Abhiruchi: 15:30 - 17:30
  • Friday with Annelie: 10 - 12:30 Please email us if you have anything in particular you would like to meet about or if you cannot make it to these times and want to meet with us.

Inspirations:

NOTE ON DOCUMENTATION
Make sure that you have done the following before the end of the course.

  • Take high quality photos of each of the tools you used, with your participants' input.
    • Translate the input, if in another language, and add this info to the photo / slide / however it works for you (I can help if you need it)
  • Edit the video / audio / photographs from your interviews to make sure that they tell the story of each of your interview experiences. Consider: what are the key observations / insights you would like to make sure other people understand?
    • If in another language, add English voice-over / subtitles so you can share it more widely (and so we can understand it :)
    • Make sure we know what question / tool is being used during the edited segment of the video. Otherwise we, as your viewers, are lost! So - you can add a general title before that segment, for example. See me if you need help.
    • Example here.

Overview:

This course will introduce students to the CIID process of Interaction Design - from research to prototyping - with weekly readings, lectures and activities that will equip students with methodological knowledge as well as practical, hands-on techniques to think through and flesh out their designs. We will focus our efforts under an engaging research topic, design challenge and its subset of questions over the course of 4 weeks.
In the following 5 weeks, students will take their thoroughly researched and prototyped concepts and continue to see them through to their full form at which point they will show the work at a museum or other public space in Copenhagen.

Weekly Structure

Each week, four dimensions will define our axes of efforts:

  1. Context: what does it mean to design for museums? For public space? We will continuously study this context by getting out into the field and observing, interviewing and prototyping to learn more about the context.
  2. Content: we will consider the overarching topic of "European heritage in the age of migrations." Within this, we will consider multigenerational heritage - how do different generations represent their heritage? What tools do they use? Questions such as these will center our reading, field research and concepts on issues related to European heritage.
  3. Method: we will use principles of interaction design, specifically "people-centered design" as the path we travel in order to achieve our goal.
  4. Goal: we will keep in mind our goal of designing creative-practice interventions that nourish and sustain dialogue about heritage for visitors of museums, galleries and heritage sites.

Types of activities:

  1. Field research (observations, interviews)
  2. Desk research (readings, videos, etc.)
  3. Diagetic + Speculative Prototyping (low-fidelity demonstrations of ideas)
  4. Co-creation / Testing (in public space / with possible participants)
  5. Obsessive documentation (high-quality video footage of all work)
  6. Summarization (as short text, photographs, diagrams, edited videos)

Sharing process:

  • You are welcome to use a Google Drive / Dropbox / etc. folder, Tumblr page, your own website. Send the class the link and make sure your teammates can access and contribute to it.
  • All documentation should be finished and shared on Sunday morning at the latest so that we can consider it and incorporate corresponding exercises and suggestions in the Monday afternoon class time.
  • I will keep this page up to date with all resources and assignments.

You MUST have individuals' consent if you make any direct recording of them. T1his is a crucial principle of design research.

Expectations

  1. Continuous documentation and editing. You must gather high quality documentation through video and photograhs. Use the camera that you will get from the school (Jeppe Lawaetz) and document constantly as well as editing your video and photograph footage after each session.
  2. Post progress each day on blog as continuous stream of documentation of what you are doing
  3. Post response to assignment on Sunday morning (at the latest) so that I can review it before class on Mondays
  4. Actively participate in classroom activities and group work
  5. (Be on time for class and for your group meetings)
  6. Work with me to make the class the best it can be!

Research Topic

As part of an ongoing European Union project, our class will consider the topic of constructing and representing European heritage in this age of migrations.
Within this overall topic, we seek to encourage deeper dialogue about European heritage-identity, specifically within the context of galleries, museums, heritage-sites, specifically with the mechanism of creative-practice interventions.
Creative-practice interventions can be defined as interactive installations.
How is heritage-identity expressed/shifted during/through dialogue? Can you design an intervention that allows participants to engage in the process of that intervention's design? As in, a modular set of tools for dialogue, where participants choose which to keep and which to discard. As in, a physical space that can be deconstructed to allow participants to express themselves more fully.
How can we use diagetic prototyping / speculative prototyping to bring participants into our world?

Assignment 0: Getting Started Before we meet on Tuesday afternoon, we'd like for you to prepare and explore in the following ways.

  • Read:
  • Do:
    • Set up blog and send me a link (can be on tumblr, or even a google docs page that you share with the class)
    • Contact Jeppe Lawaetz to get a high quality camera that can take video as well
  • Go:
    • Observations at a museum: pick any museum and go. Plan to spend at least 45 minutes there. The goal is to observe how people interact with the space, with one another, with the exhibited content, with their personal devices throughout the experience. Eventually you will be designing an experience for a museum or similarly shared public space
      • Ask yourself the following questions:
        • How do people interact with one another around the "content" of the exhibit?
        • How do they choose to enter and exit various pieces of content or spaces?
        • What leads to their spending more or less time with various areas? Space design? Sound design?
        • Are there any ways for them to input their perspective or interact with what they are reading, seeing, experiencing?
        • Try to listen in to conversations of the other visitors. Which elements, if any, lead to prolonged discussion?
      • Observe and photograph examples of interactions in the environment
      • Define the problem that each interaction responds to (and the result of the solution, both intended and unintended)
      • Edit your videos/photos and be prepared to discuss your findings
  • Sum:
    • Readings: please note your reading in the following ways.
      • 1-3 quotations per reading
      • 1-3 sketches per reading that show main concepts that stuck with you
      • Captions for sketch that explain why this concept stuck with you
    • Blog: send me the link
    • Observations: note (write in bullet points) where you went, any remarks about the space, setting, sound design "affordances" of the space. Upload high quality video and photographs of the particular interactions you would like to share with the class

WEEK 1: THE INSIDE: research and inspiration

Introduction to IXD, CoHERE topic, CIID approach of people-centered research
Goals: To introduce:

  • One another, IXD, CIID, the course, the topic + CoHERE To understand and practice:
  • Basic elements of interaction design
    • Satisfying + curious interactions
  • People-centered research and design
    • Interviews, field research

Class I: Tuesday

In-between assignment
In between classes, we would like you to take time to go home and document, through high-quality video and audio (self-narrated) how your heritage-identity is expressed in your daily environment - neighborhood, apartment, online life. Show us. Narrate as you show us.
On your blog:

  • Post/link edited footage
  • Diagram the items that "pulled" stories out of you most easily

Class II: Wednesday

  • Review Assignment 0 readings (30 min)
  • Lecture: tools for people-centered interaction design: how we learn, how we get inspired (30 min)
    • Prep for: conducting interviews and field research
  • Watch: Everyone around you has a story the world needs to hear, by Dave Isay (10 min)
  • Lecture: discussion and overview on heritage-identity, storytelling tactics (30 min)
  • Planning Assignment 1 (30 min)
    • Field observation: plan to spend 1 hr
      • Where to go
    • Interview: plan to spend 1 hr
      • Who to talk with
    • Prep: plan to spend 1 hr
      • Questions to ask
      • Materials / prompts
    • Consent forms
    • Camera: charged and with storage available!
  • 16:15 Attend CIID Open Lecture on exhibition design and interaction design from 17-18h

Bonus exercises

  • Exercise searching (30 min)
    • Look at 3 projects related to story-telling from this list. Share why 1 stands out.
  • Exercise: hunt for satisfying interactions
    • Come back together and share - what is behind satisfaction?
  • Exercise: hunt for curiosity-provoking interactions
    • Come back together and share - what provokes this interest?

Assignment Week 1:
In this assignment, you are engaging with two elements of the course:
From a process standpoint: how we learn - conducting interviews and field research, co-creation sessions.
From a content standpoint: finding useful insights that will ground your future concepts for the type of intervention you might make that will encourage / incite sharing stories about heritage across generations.
Consider:
What do you hope people will do once inside your experience?
What makes people engage with one another? What tools do they use during their engagement?
How can you incite story-sharing, storytelling as a prompt for dialogue? What tools do you need to help?

  • Read: to prepare for interview (30 min)

  • Do: understanding heritage through stories (3.5 hrs)

    • Identify at least one individual you can interview and co-create about heritage + storytelling. Schedule 1 session with the individual.
    • REQUIRED: CONSENT FORMS SIGNED BY INTERVIEWEES
    • In advance, do the reading on interview materials and prep (1 hr)
    • Make your list of questions and conceptualize / print out any tools (2 hrs)
    • Interview (30 min)
      • Remember to write down their name, who they are, what they do, where they are from, how old they are - the basics :)
    • Considerations post-interview
      • How do they engage with your questions?
      • Which questions lead to the most engaging interaction between you two?
      • What makes them comfortable, uncomfortable?
      • What do they use around themselves to communicate to you?
      • Which questions / tools / prompts / materials lead to stories? All? None? Reminder: your goal is to incite dialogue (and thus expression) on heritage. Your insight: storytelling can be a way to incite this expression / dialogue.

  • Sum (1.5 hrs):

    • Video, photographs, insights from field research on dialogue in public space
    • Video, photographs, insights from interview and co-creation session
    • Questions, concerns, insights from exploring Design Methods by IDEO. How is it different from your typical process?

Extra exercise:

  • Interview Part 2 (30 min): interview + co-creation. How can they help you come up with a possible replicable intervention / experience / setting that would allow expression of heritage through stories?
  • Go: understanding dialogue (0-3 hrs)
    • Observe instances of people engaging in dialogue, especially sharing stories, in public space.
    • Create a diagram that explains the patterns you observe.
    • Consider some of the different distinctions that may be present:
      • Are the people in a dialogue with others or themselves (an inner dialogue)? Do they know one another or are they strangers?
      • Where do you observe the dialogue? What do you notice about the constraints of that environment that may guide the potential for engagement?
      • How long and how deep is the dialogue? What made one party or the other engage for longer or exit earlier?
    • Isolate one observation that you can use as a jumping point for a design intervention.

WEEK 2: THE INSIDE: insights and ideation

Goals: To understand and practice:

  • How to translate observations and insights into foundation for design questions
  • How to transition from design questions to brainstorms / concept generation
    • What is your goal?
  • Paper prototyping and testing

Class I: Monday Jan. 23

  • 10-10:15 Reminder of process (AB)
  • 10:15-11:15 Review Assignment 1 + document observations. "Rich" Template linked here.
  • 11:15-11:30 Exercise: Observations leading to clusters leading to insights (AC)
  • 11:30-11:45 Break
  • 11:45-12:30 Exercise: Insights leading to How Might We (AB+AC) slides linked here.
  • 12:35-13:15 Inspirational examples (based in exhibition design / heritage-expression, etc.)+ reflection/observations/discussion on interactive design ingredients, documentation best practices (AB) slides linked here. Project links here.
  • 13:15-13:30 Break
  • 13:30-14:00 Brainstorming methods + exercising of methods (AC) slides linked here.

In-between assignment
HMW Question definition + concept generation sessions with your fellow students.

  • Develop 6 Key Insights
  • Craft 3 ‘how might we’ questions. Each question should have a few versions.
  • Hold a brainstorm!
  • Post on your blog:
    • Pictures of the sketches+titles

Class II: Tuesday

  • Review + discuss insights, HMW, brainstorm
  • From ideas -> concept
    • Exercise: Bundle ideas (AB)
    • Exercise: Scenario writing / act it out
  • Review concepts
    • Exercise: Gut check, top 5, what aspects to prototype?
  • Lecture + discussion: prototyping
    • Just enough: inspirations (yesterday + today)
    • Storyboards, Role Plays, models, mock-ups
  • Review concepts + discuss plans for prototypes
    • Discussion: pure analog v. technical
  • Prep week 2 assignment + plan for testing or co-creation/co-design

In-between assignment
(3hrs max)

  • Decide if you are doing a individual concept or in group/ groups.
  • Pick 1 How Might We that you (your group) is drawn towards. (15mins)
  • Pick 1 Concept that you (or your group) want to to work on for the few weeks.
    • If you can choose 1 based on the current brainstorm, this will take 15mins
    • If you would like to brainstorm further before picking, conduct the brainstorm/cluster/build/refine session (2h)
  • Before coming to class briefly think about what are the assumptions of your concept? (15mins) - Post this on your blog + all sketches that are relevant
  • Be ready to share this at the start of the the class on Wednesday. You will have 5 mins to share, so keep it concise and focused. You can use whatever materials you want to to explain and communicate your concept. (30mins)
    • Things to include:
    • HMW
    • Main thought behind concept
    • Components/features/abstract ingredients of concept
    • Assumptions (what are you assuming will happen?)
    • Who are you designing for? Who is your audience?
    • What’s the expected value for the audience you have chosen?

Class III: Thursday

Concept direction presentations

  • How to break down concept into prototype-able participants
  • Plan for feedback / testing / co-design sessions

Class IV: Friday (January 27) Guest Lecture 13h - 17h

Andreas Refsgaard will take us through his interactive design practice and teach a few easy-to-implement techniques!
If possible, please prep your computer with the following items:

  1. The newest version of Processing: https://processing.org/download/?processing
  2. Wekinator: http://www.wekinator.org/downloads/
  3. Wekinator examples: https://github.com/fiebrink1/wekinator_examples
  4. If you want to play with Kinect and have Mac Computers, they can also download this executable: http://www.doc.gold.ac.uk/~mas01rf/WekinatorDownloads/wekinator_examples/executables/mac/inputs/KinectHandAndHead_9Inputs_Mac.zip

Assignment Week 2: (5h total) Prototype and test at least 1 component of your concept. What to prototype / how to prototype?

  • Make paper prototype or role-play scenario or Wizard of Oz or (any other method) with which you want to test the component (2h)
  • Go out and test, get feedback (2h)
  • Post on blog: (1h)
    • Consolidate video(s) of the testing experience(s)
    • Note at least 1 finding or observation or quotation or reflective diagram

WEEK 3: THE INVITATION + THE EXIT

How do you invite people in to your experience?
How does the physical, visual and audio set-up impact their perception and their mind-set upon entrance?
What are the sensual triggers for wayfinding (audio, visual, smell, touch, etc.)?

Class I: Monday

  • 12:30 - 13:30 Review Assignment 2
  • 13:30 - 13:40 Break
  • 13:40 - 14:40 Lecture: what is an "invitation" and why is it important? Slides linked here.
  • 14:40 - 14:50 Break
  • 14:50 - 15:50 Lecture: ludic design. Slides linked here.
  • 15:50 - 16:00 Break
  • 16:00 - 16:50 Exercise: Explore invitations
    • Optional exercise: paper prototype invitations and test them out
    • Review and share
  • 16:50 - 17:00 Discuss / in-between exercises

In-between exercise (max 1.5h) Observe "invitations" (1hr) and document through video (optionally: also through photographs, sketches, diagrams)

  • Post on blog (30mins)
    • Video
    • At least one finding / observation
  • Link for corresponding "versus" and "emotions" noted from discussion

Class II: Tuesday

  • 12:30 - 13:30 Review in-between exercise
  • 13:30 - 13:40 Break
  • 13:40 - 14:50 Lecture: what is an "exit" and why is it important?
  • 14:50 - 15:10 Lecture: natural inspirations (Slides linked here)
  • 15:10 - 15:20 Break
  • 15:20 - 15:45 Lecture and discussion (Monika Seyfried)
  • 15:45 - 16:00 Break
  • 16:00 - 16:30 Exercise: Explore exits
    • Optional exercise: paper prototype exits and test them out
    • Review and share
  • 16:30 - 17:00 Discuss/plan upcoming assignment

Assignment Week 3:

  • What is your idea?
    • Diagram the idea
      • Diagram options
    • Storyboard the experience
    • Try out as many aspects as possible
      • Video document the "trying out"
      • Keep any physical prototypes so you can show them (to us, to Friday presentation guests, etc.)
    • Consider: how would you like to express it in a short video?

WEEK 4: REVISIT / REFINE / PLAN FUTURE

Class I: Monday

  • Review Assignment Week 3
  • Break
  • Step by step plan for concept video
    • Scene by scene, what will you show to express the idea?
    • Inspirations:
      • Imagineers of Valby: "Our final deliverable was a video documenting some of our most interesting interventions. By showing both our prototypes as well as the people interacting with them, we hope to inspire the Kulturhus Valby (and the other services related to them) to think about new ways to engage regular and new visitors with the rich and valuable content that these places offer. While the video is only a part of this entire system, it shows the potential behind the core value of the experience-sharing service."
      • Veeer
  • Technical workshop
    • Arduino play (AC)
    • Little Bits play (AB)
      • Useful links:
      • You can take a look at and choose filters to view projects specifically about sound. For example: sound projects
    • Processing (AC) / p5 Audio (AB) examples

Friday Presentation

To prepare your thoughts, consider the following questions:

  • General:
    • Who are you designing for?
    • Who is your audience?
    • What is your concept?
    • How does it work?
    • What’s the expected value for the audience you have chosen?
  • Concept:
    • What's the "Question" you are exploring?
  • Prototyping: Please describe your prototyping plan/challenges.
    • What do you want to experiment with? What level of physical/digital prototyping?
    • How will you prototype the experience? Describe which elements of the concepts you intend to prototype and how.
    • Add a day by day schedule, including material and human resources needed. Discuss the plan with your group and the people you’re counting on to help you.

Use this template to organize your presentation: Link here.
Here are 2 sample presentations that might help either:

  • Inspiration for how to communicate the experience of the Concept
  • Structuring your work and thoughts.
    INGREDIENTS TO GATHER:
  • What is your intention / goal?
    • For your own research interests
    • Overall (the How Might We, for example)
    • What do you hope to learn through it? What do you hope people will learn by experiencing it? What do you hope they will feel?
  • What is your idea?
    • What is the scenario of the experience? Help us imagine it.
  • Where does it come from? (self-interview, interview of others, field research)
    • What are the seeds - or a few “bread crumbs” or “red thread” that carries through from your inspirations, looking around, talking to people (formal and informal interviews / “fieldwork”)?
    • As in - share some of the special insights you learned!
  • What is your plan for execution?

What we are looking for

  • Presentation:
    • What we are looking for...
      • Process: take us through your journey from the initial research (self-interview, interviews, field research, observations) to the final concept (what is it? How did you test it?)
      • Concept: does it fit the goal?
      • Prototype: have you used prototyping to learn and to refine your idea? (show the different prototypes and testing)
      • Documentation: how are you communicating your work?
      • Presentation: clarity of the story-telling

Class II: Friday

  • Presentation
  • Discussion
  • Plan for FUTURE
    • Critiques
    • Technical help / workshopping
    • Prototyping

GOING FORWARD